Sunday, January 21, 2007

CPC Trashing Canada's International Reputation

Or:

Peter MacKay's Levantine Misadventures.

Despite Harper's best efforts to make an optical ideological shift in many quarters, the Minister of Foreign Affairs's cool reception by Mahmoud Abbas is just further evidence that the damage has been done. Decades of global goodwill and international respect as a balanced middle power destroyed in just under a year.

From the article:

'In any event, Mr. Abbas's top aide suggested beforehand that there was little riding on the talks. He suggested that Canada's decision to cut aid to the Palestinian Authority after Hamas won control of it in elections last year, and its refusal to allow diplomats to meet with PA officials, has diminished whatever influence Canada once had in the region.'To make matters worse, the CBC has just reported that on a visit to a West Bank refugee camp, directly in the shadow of the security barrier, MacKay refused to comment on the conditions in the West Bank, refused to comment on the wall and refused all questions from the journalists following him through the camp. To his dubious credit, he did visit a UN-run girls school to remark on the importance of education.

7 Comments:

''He suggested that Canada's decision to cut aid to the Palestinian Authority after Hamas won control of it in elections last year, and its refusal to allow diplomats to meet with PA officials, has diminished whatever influence Canada once had in the region.''

Influence should be bought?Well if Canadian's measley few million is of no consequence,let's put it to better use elsewhere.

Forget the FACT that Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization in Canada, we should support terrorists?These dudes preferred the Liberals, I see why.

The last I checked Abbas is not a member of Hamas. Your analysis, wilson, is far from profound. The implications of Harper's foreign policy shift in this region are great. He has veered so far to the right in an exact mirror of Bush/ Rice, that whereas Canada was always seen as an honest broker by both the Palestinians and Israelis, Canadian foreign policy is now increasingly one-sided. It's not money that buys influence, it's trust in many cases. Even doves like Abbas don't trust Canada's motives anymore.

Little Potato Pete follows Condi to the region and tries to score cheap political points in the region only to fail miserably....

Mr Abbas's aide was right.Hamas was democratilly elected for those that seem to have forgotten that.We cut off aid to them in a pety gesture (following what Bush wanted or other reason, who cares)....To the Cons, only certain countries call Hamas a terrorist group... but the US and others are keen on arming one side of the Palestinians... Can't wait for that blowback...